Rabbit Stifado

Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 15 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1 large rabbit, jointed (approximately 3 1/2 pounds)
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 tablespoons red wine vinegar (balsamic also works nicely)
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/3 teaspoon sugar
• 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 1 small cinnamon stick (about a 3-inch length)
• 4 whole allspice
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 2/3 cup red wine
• 1 1/4 cups hot water
• salt and black pepper
• 1 1/2 lbs pearl onions, peeled, left whole

Recipe

• 1 rinse the rabbit pieces and place them in a mixing bowl together with the bay leaves and vinegar; mix well and leave to marinate for at least 2 hours, or overnight; remove the rabbit from the marinade and pat dry with kitchen paper.
• 2 heat half of the olive oil in a large saucepan until hot, add the rabbit and fry the pieces until quite brown on all sides; add the tomato paste, bay leaves (left over from the marinade), sugar, garlic, spices, wine and the hot water.
• 3 season with salt and pepper.
• 4 bring to the boil mixing well then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 1 hour.
• 5 meanwhile, heat the remaining olive oil in a frying pan; add the onions and sauté gently for 15 minutes stirring occasionally, until golden all over; after the rabbit has been cooking for 1 hour, add the onions and oil from the frying pan to the saucepan; combine, then re-cover and simmer for a further 15 minutes; fish out the cinnamon stick, allspice berries and rosemary sprig.
• 6 note: this can be served with pasta, noodles, rice or oven-roasted potatoes, but my personal favourite is homemade french-fries, which taste delicious dunked in the spicy sauce.